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Stonesoft: Fear-of-China Syndrome and Hacktivism on the Rise

Stonesoft Press Release, Helsinki, Finland — January 9, 2013 — The network security company Stonesoft estimates that cyber security competence will become a significant criterion when global enterprises are considering their operational locations. Stonesoft estimates the reverse China syndrome to be one of the key trends in the next couple of years, boosted by growing cyber security awareness. Also hacktivism and the need for societal resilience are on the rise.

Global enterprises may be less inclined to locate their operations in countries where the cyber security level cannot be trusted. Instead, they may turn into nations who look after cyber security.

– The fear-of-China syndrome is an enormous opportunity for Finland. It is a question of significant competitive advantage and inducement, just like cheap labor or easily attainable raw materials have been in the past. Today, enterprises are pondering whether a nation is hacking the industry and how reliable its legislation is in this respect, says Jarno Limnéll, Director, Cyber Security at Stonesoft Corporation.

– Finland already has a strong international trust capital. By utilizing this trust capital, we can brand ourselves as the leader in cyber security, Limnéll continues.

Another growing trend is network activism, i.e. hacktivism. For example, the number of DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks against government agencies and enterprises is constantly growing. Hacktivism can be motivated by, for example, dissatisfaction with politics or business operations. The attacks are usually executed by loosely organized individuals and groups.

– Cyber reality provides a favorable environment for activism. Reaching goals in the world of bits is much easier and more cost effective than in the traditional world of atoms. Instead of organizing demonstrations in front of a company’s headquarters, its operations can be taken down on the Internet, says Limnéll.

In cyber security, also resilience is key. Resilience allows the society, nations and/or companies to recover from cyber attacks and resume their operations as fast as possible. Small everyday/trivial breaks in for example the operations of network connections remind us how dependent the world of atoms is on the world of bits.

– The third significant trend is strengthening societal resilience. Cyber security must be regarded as comprehensive security. It is not just a matter of the IT department or nations, but in the future it will be regarded a part of civics, good citizenship and proper membership in a community. Societal resilience can and it must be increased and developed by making everybody aware of cyber security. Cyber is everybody’s concern, Limnéll says.

Stonesoft raises cyber security issues in the Winning Cyber Strategy 2013 top forum on 10 January 2013 in Helsinki, Finland. In the forum, cyber security experts share their thoughts about how the threats and risk of the digital world can be turned into competitive advantages and strategic assets. The keynote speakers of the event include the president of Estonia, Toomas Hendrik Ilves as well as the professor and award-winning writer Misha Glenny.

Stonesoft serves private and public sector organizations requiring high availability, ease of management, compliance, dynamic security and protection of their critical digital assets and business continuity against today’s rapidly evolving cyber threats. Stonesoft is a recognized researcher of advanced evasion techniques (AETs) used in targeted cyber attacks to bypass network security. Stonesoft has the highest customer retention rate in the industry due to low TCO, ease of management, and overall customer excellence. Stonesoft’s customer base covers more than 6,500 mid or large-sized organizations across various industries and geographical markets.

Founded in 1990, the company’s track record is well recognized by certifiers, industry analysts and demanding customers. The company’s corporate headquarters are based in Helsinki, Finland and North American headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. For more information visit www.stonesoft.com.